UPDF’s Acting Defence Public Information Officer, Col. Chris Magezi, has described the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Joel Ssenyonyi as “unserious and incompetent.”
The remarks come in response to Ssenyonyi’s reaction to Magezi’s earlier comments about clashes in Gulu between security personnel and National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine.
Speaking on Next Radio’s Big Talk earlier this week, Col. Magezi said the incident had been exaggerated and misrepresented in the media.
“The pressing concern is that the information is not being presented equally and objectively enough for an ordinary person to make an informed decision,”
“We tend to be driven more by emotions than by logic. For instance, people are outraged because some individuals were beaten with sticks, yet in some of our own communities, parents still administer corporal punishment to their children, and some schools do the same.” Magezi told Next Radio.
Ssenyonyi took to X (formerly Twitter) this week to criticise Magezi, arguing, “So this character thinks it’s okay for the military to beat up leaders and their supporters, just because parents beat their children....”
In response, Col. Magezi, on Thursday, blasted Ssenyonyi on X, accusing him of hypocrisy and saying he had failed to see a fundamental moral difference.
He further described Ssenyonyi as “unserious and undeserving” of the LoP position.
“This guy is just a blowhard, and probably the most unserious, incompetent and undeserving in that position in the history of Uganda’s politics. He implies that it is okay to beat children, but not adults. Is there a fundamental moral difference? Hypocrite!” Col. Magezi said.
The exchange comes days after the Gulu clashes, which sparked alarm among NUP supporters and opposition followers.
During the confrontation, security officers were filmed beating civilians and NUP supporters.
While acknowledging the “unfortunate and undesirable” scenes at a press conference, police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said Kyagulanyi contributed to the confrontation by allegedly disregarding an agreed campaign route.